thank-you
6 months ago
this is a very overdue message of gratitude to everyone who helped me, supported me and got me to where i only dreamed of reaching.
a little while ago i entered “art takes miami” with a few portfolio shots. feeling slightly cynical, i thought i best be in it if there was ever a chance to achieve something from it.
then came the most wonderful part - the part that is even better than any result. it’s the part that leaves you grateful for the support no matter what the outcome. never in a million years would i ever have imagined the kindness that came flooding my way. every morning i would see a new announcement from a friend asking everyone to vote for me. in the evenings i would receive emails from far off places wishing me luck. i even read blog posts by strangers telling the world why they should vote for my art. this love and support shocked me to the extent i found myself speechless. i never expected such a reception and it meant the entire universe to me. whether or not i won, i vowed to forever remember that kindness i had received and use it as fuel for future endeavours.
i remember opening my emails at about 8pm and my heart stopped. i was staring at a personal email saying i had won the people’s choice and should keep it secret until the public announcement. my heart stopped and the next thing i realised was that i was cradling my face and weeping into my lap. never before had i been so grateful for all the support. this competition was never about me winning, it was about everyone coming together to help someone they believed in. and in knowing that, i feel i was the luckiest girl in the world. people from home to as far as china, new zealand and peru had all spread the word to help me and i wanted to hug every single person who had done so.
thank you all for believing in me. it was the most fun journey it could’ve been merely because of the support of such inspiring and motivating people. the support has made me grow and blossom, each one of you helped make someone else’s dream come true. and that takes a lot of kindness to do. so to each and every kind person who helped someone you thought deserved it; thank you endlessly. i am forever and eternally grateful for the army of dreamers, i couldn’t be a prouder member.
